For kids that dream of being on the pitcher’s mound in a stadium full of rowdy fans, this weekend was a chance to take a swing at those hopes at a Calgary baseball camp.
Under the guidance of Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen, 10- to 18-year-old players picked up on tricks at the Strive Baseball Pro Camp on Saturday and Sunday.
“A lot of talk about how people prepare themselves, how I prepare myself before a game,” Jansen said of the ground he covered — mentality, approach, hitting and defence.
Not long ago a teen, the 23-year-old credits a strong ambition for getting him this far.
“I always wanted to get better; I always wanted to learn; I always wanted to play with buddies and keep that going the whole way,” Jansen said.
“It’s just having the passion and making the friendships that I made, and the mistakes that you make, as well,” he added. “Baseball is a game of failure. To fail at a young age and learn how you can go back and revise it and not make that mistake again so you can build off that — that’s a huge thing.”
As Jansen heads into spring training, his plan is to revise his physical health, strength and flexibility.
“I’m just trying to be the same guy,” he said. “Trying to do the same things that helped me get there, but obviously you have to make adjustments. It’s a game of adjustments. When you stop doing that, the game spits you out.”
Like Jansen told the kids, it comes down to mentality.
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